Iron Rules of Training

Strive for Strength, Not Size

Like most men, you want a mighty chest, big biceps and washboard abs. But instead of training like a bodybuilder and relying on single-joint exercises designed to isolate muscles, start training like an athlete. You'll not only build the body you want, you'll also perform better, minimize injury, burn fat and feel more motivated.

Great bodies are a product of athletic conditioning. Instead of focusing on getting big, focus on getting strong. That way, you will sculpt the body you want and enjoy a valuable bonus: functional fitness.

Swop this for that

If you're doing any of the single-joint exercises listed below, try replacing them with the corresponding compound exercises. For example, if you're doing biceps curls with 10kg weights, try doing bent-over rows with 20kg weights. You'll build strength and burn more kilojoules, and the extra weight will create added muscle stress and trigger testosterone production. The result: your biceps will grow faster than they would with simple curls.

Single-Joint

Biceps curl

Calf raise

Leg extension

Crunch

Compound

Bent-over row

Clean pull

Lunge or step-up

Cable woodchopper

Embrace Progressive Overload

‘Progressive overload’ means spending more time out of your comfort zone. It's the most basic of all strength-training principles, but it's the one people understand the least. The human body is amazing. The more work you do, the more you will be capable of doing over time. The more time you spend in your discomfort zone, the less time you need to spend in the gym.

Cycle your Workouts

You won't make much progress doing three sets of 10 for the rest of your life. To build strength, rather alternate three-week cycles within 12-week training periods, an approach called periodisation. So if you're used to bench-pressing 70kg for three sets of 10 in every chest workout, for example, your periodised plan might look something like this.

Weeks 1 to 3
Three sets of 10 with 70kg for a total weight of 2100kg (3x10x70)

Weeks 4 to 6
Four sets of five with 80kg, for 1600kg

Weeks 7 to 9
Three sets of eight with 75kg, for 1800kg

Weeks 10 to 12
Five sets of four with 85kg, for 1700kg

Notice how the weight you're lifting and your total weight cycle and progress over time while ensuring that your muscles have plenty of time to adapt. This produces more strength and size as the load on your muscles keeps increasing.

Balance your Movements

Strength requires balance. If you're bench-pressing three sets of 10, you need to be doing a pull-based exercise, such as horizontal pull-ups or standing cable rows, for three sets of 10. If you're not doing that, structural problems will develop. Yin-yang your gym time. We have identified eight key movements that are fundamental to strength, sports and everyday living. Do the exercises with their complements. You don't have to do all of these movements every time you step into the gym, but they should be equally represented across your entire training plan.

Horizontal Pull

Bent-over row
Horizontal pull-up
Standing cable row

Horizontal Push

Bench press
Push-up
Dip

Vertical Push

Shoulder press
Push press

Vertical Pull

Chin-up or pull-up
Lat pull-down

Hip-Dominant

Good morning
Back extension

Knee-Dominant

Squat
Lunge

Rotational Core

Russian twist
Windshield wiper
Cable woodchopper

Stabilized Core

Plank
Side bridge
Barbell roll-out

Become Unstable

In life, we usually reach or step with one arm or one leg at a time. Then we hit the gym, and we immediately plant both feet or grab a bar with both hands. This ‘bilateral bias’ often results in a dominant limb negotiating more of the weight than its weaker counterpart. This can lead to problems such as physical imbalances, performance flaws and, ultimately, injury.

Say you can bench-press 180kg. You probably think you're pretty strong. But I guarantee you won't be able to lift two 90kg dumbbells equally well. That's because dumbbells force each arm to work independently.

Training with one arm or leg at a time creates instability. Muscles, especially those in the core, compensate by firing. So you're not only working to move the weight, you're also working to stay balanced. Do more unilateral exercises. When devising programs for athletes, we work from an extensive menu of exercises - we may have them bench press on Monday but then do horizontal-pushing exercises (say, a single-arm dumbbell incline press, or push-ups) for the next two work-outs. When we finally get around to bench pressing again, the arms are stronger because of the crossover effect. To apply the same principle to your workout, use this chart for occasional substitutions.

Bilateral

Barbell squat
Bench press
Push up
Lat pull down
Good morning
Back extension
Shoulder press

Unilateral

Forward lunge
Dumbbell alternate bench press
Side to side push up
One arm lat pull down
Single leg Romanian dead lift
Single leg back extension
Dumbbell one arm push press

Do it all Explosively

It's not enough to just lift a weight. You must explode it - that is, raise it as fast as you can while still retaining control. This is also known as speed-strength conditioning and has great influence on power, endurance and metabolism. But be warned: this training style will tax you like never before.

Light the Fuse

Olympic barbell and power-lifting exercises, such as squats, clean-and-jerks and snatches, are the best moves for explosiveness.

Here are two alternatives:

1. Body-weight squat jumps: stand with your hands behind your head, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor and jump as high as possible. Rest three to five seconds. Repeat 10 to 12 times.

2. Dumbbell squat press: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your shoulders. In one continuous movement, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then stand while driving the weights overhead. Return to the squat position. Repeat for two to three sets of eight to 10 reps.